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Hunt for escaped French prisoner: Interpol issues ‘red notice’ alert
‘Unprecedented international cooperation and judicial police resources’ have been mobilised, the interior minister says
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Strikes in France: Binmen begin protest over Paris Olympics pay
Unions are calling for bonuses for all staff and have posted strike notices for action throughout the whole period of the Olympics and Paralympics
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UK-France flights hit as Ryanair announces it is leaving Bordeaux airport
Low-cost carrier says it is transfering planes and workers to other bases due to rising fees
Church buys Brittany town's 'controversial' statue
8m monument will be moved a few metres but will still be visible to the public
The Catholic Church has agreed to buy a controversial 8m statue of Pope John Paul II for €20,000 from a Morbihan town following a court ruling.
As reported in October 2017, France’s top administrative court the Conseil d’Etat ruled that a cross had to be removed from the statue in Ploërmel as it breaks France's 1905 law of separation of Church and State.
The rest of the statue, including an arch over the figure of the Pope, could remain in place, the court ruled.
On Thursday, Ploërmel council agreed to sell the bronze monument, which has stood in a public carpark for 12 years after being donated to the town by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, to the diocese of Vannes.
Once the sale has gone through, the statue will be moved a matter of metres, at the Church's expense, to the adjoining grounds of a Catholic private college, where it will remain visible to the public.
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